Aug. 28, 2020 – Friday night lights will burn just as bright, but crowd sizes will be controlled when high school football and other athletic contests begin in September.
The district will limit attendance to 30 percent of a venue’s capacity for spectators of athletic contests. The limitation is to enable social distancing among spectators.
Face coverings will be required for fans entering and leaving facilities and at any point that social distancing is not possible, such as at concessions. Face coverings can be removed when fans are seated in outdoor stadiums.
Face coverings will be required in all indoor venues, such as gymnasiums, and at events where social distancing may not be possible such as viewing areas at cross country and swim meets.
Congregating at games or in the parking lots will not be allowed.
Parents and guardians of participating athletes will have priority for tickets at events such as football games where stadiums are expected to reach the reduced capacity. A designated allotment of tickets will then be made available to home and away fans.
Friday night lights for Duval is beginning on a Thursday this year. The first night of varsity football is Sept. 10 with Andrew Jackson hosting Englewood at 6 p.m. Sept. 11 will see games played throughout the district. School marching bands and cheerleading squads will still be present. However, these groups are modifying performances to respect social distancing guidelines.
Other high school sports beginning contests soon are girls volleyball, boys and girls swimming, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls golf, girls bowling and girls slow pitch softball.
The district will not allow any person with COVID-19 or who is exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 to attend any school events. Additionally, a household member of a person with COVID-19 will not be permitted to attend school or any school events.
